The 2024-25 Washington Wizards are high key the worst team in NBA history

Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win's basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here's Mike Sykes

Happy Friday, folks! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you've had a great week so far.

The Wizards have not.

This team might not have the same historic 28-game losing streak the Pistons did last year — yet. But that doesn't mean that this Wizards team is better than that team.

After digging into the numbers a bit after Washington's latest loss, this team might actually somehow be a little worse.

Washington is in the midst of a 16-game win streak, which sounds pretty terrible on its own already. It gets even worse when you realize that the team's point differential in the last 16 games is -19.3, which is the worst in the NBA in that span by about 7 points.

But folks. That's not all. This gets even worse when you realize that the Wizards are in the middle of their secondlosing streak of 16 games or more this year — a franchise record in so many dreadful ways.

But, guys. It doesn't end there.

This team has the worst overall point differential in NBA history at -15.23. That's worse than last year's Pistons. That's worse than the Process Philadelphia 76ers. That's worse than any of those dreadful Bobcats teams from back in the day. It's bad, guys. Really, really bad.

The Wizards are on pace for a 10-72 season, which would be the worst season for any team since the 2016 76ers. The team's current 12.8 percent winning percentage is among the five worst in league history.

I say all that to say that the Wizards stink. And things will probably get worse next week when names like Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole and more are on the trade block.

Of course, there's a reason for all of this. The Wizards are tanking right now. This team's rebuild phase is only just beginning — they're calling it the "deconstruction" phase. Whew, boy. If this is what deconstruction looks like, I wonder what things might look like once everything is down to the studs.

This is bad. The Wizards are bad. All I know is that Cooper Flagg or Dylan Harper better be waiting at the end of this road.

I don't know how much more of this I can take.

Speaking of how bad the Wizards are...

Bronny James got MVP chants in Capitol One Arena on Thursday night! He was actually getting buckets, too. Charles Curtis has more here.

I don't know whether to be embarrassed or to just laugh at this happening to my team.

My team? What am I saying? I've always been a lifelong Cleveland Cavaliers fan. Good for Bronny. Love to see one of our native sons doing so well.

*cries tears of anguish*

Shootaround

— Here's Bryan Kalbrosky with 12 big names you should be watching at the NBA trade deadline next week.

— Cory Woodroof has the full list of starters for the East and West in the All-Star game.

— Here's Bryan with the biggest snubs, including LaMelo Ball, who went from leading in fan votes to not making the game at all. People are mad about that one.

— Terry Rozier's gambling scandal might completely break the sports world.

That's a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for rocking with us today. Appreciate you. Let's do this again next week. Peace.

-Sykes 💯

This article originally appeared on For The Win: The 2024-25 Washington Wizards are high key the worst team in NBA history